Center for West European Studies & EU Jean Monnet Center

The Center for European Studies and EU Center

The University of Washington's Center for European Studies is a Jean Monnet EU Center for Excellence. For more than 25 years, the center has developed a well-earned reputation for implementing innovative teaching, outreach, and research programs in the study of Europe, the EU and and transatlantic relations. The center's activities are co-funded by the the European Union.

  1. May 11

    Dr. Robin S. Brooks | 'Euro-Atlantic Values' and the Future of Transatlantic Security | EU Democracy & Security Keynote

    On April 9, 2026, Dr. Robin S. Brooks delivered the Keynote EU Democracy and Security Lecture at the 24th Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union, hosted by the European Union Center of California at Scripps College. This podcast is a recording of this talk, titled, 'Euro-Atlantic Values' and the Future of Transatlantic Security. Dr. Robin S. Brooks, Robin Brooks is a Visiting Fellow in Global Policy and Governance at Pomona College.

    Dr. Robin S. Brooks | 'Euro-Atlantic Values' and the Future of Transatlantic Security | EU Democracy & Security Keynote

  2. May 8

    European Union Democracy & Security Symposium: Monarchies to Constitutional Democracies

    On May 7th, 2026, the Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies hosted its spring EU Democracy and Security Symposium on 'Monarchies to Constitutional Democracies.' This podcast features recordings of presentations by three members of the University of Washington faculty: Raymond Jonas (History), speaking on “France’s Five Republics and what they tell us about how republics are born and how they die”; Terje Leiren (Scandinavian Studies) speaking on "From Royal Absolutism to Parliamentary Government: Political Transition in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)”; James Felak (History) speaking on "The Perils of a Problematic Constitution: The Cases of Interwar Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.” Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union of the EACEA. Neither the European Union now the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    European Union Democracy & Security Symposium: Monarchies to Constitutional Democracies

  3. May 5

    Miguel Roncero Martin : Bounded by Water and Ice: Cooperation, Trust, and the European Democratic Experiment

    On March 6, 2026 Miguel Roncero Martin delivered the keynote address at the West Coast Model European Union event at the University of Washington. Miguel gave a talk titled, "Bounded by Water and Ice: Cooperation, Trust, and the European Democratic Experiment.” Jose Miguel Roncero Martin (Miguel Roncero) is an EU civil servant hosted by the Jackson School of International Studies in 2026, under the European Union Fellowship program. Miguel’s research focuses on the development of the blue economy in the Arctic, also as a way to foster cooperation between Europe and North America. Funded by the European Union. View and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EACEA. Neither the EU nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    Miguel Roncero Martin : Bounded by Water and Ice: Cooperation, Trust, and the European Democratic Experiment

  4. Apr 18

    Plenary Session | REECAS Northwest | Lennon, Kassenova, Zając

    On April 17th, 2026 three experts delivered an excellent plenary session at the 32nd Annual REECAS Northwest Conference at the University of Washington, on current strategy around Ukraine, REECAS and the European Union today. This podcast is a recording of that address, including a Q&A session featuring keynote speaker Phillips O'Brien. Featured experts: Nargis Kassenova, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on Central Asia, Davis Center, Harvard University Justyna Zając, Director, Polish Studies Center; Professor of Practice in European Security Studies, Indiana University Olena Lennon, Practitioner In Residence, National Security Department/Homeland Security, University of New Haven

    Plenary Session | REECAS Northwest | Lennon, Kassenova, Zając

  5. Apr 17

    Phillips O'Brien | European Strategy and the Ukraine War | REECAS Northwest Keynote

    On April 16, 2026, Phillips O'Brien delivered his keynote speech of the 32nd Annual REECAS Northwest, an official regional conference of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). Phillips OBrien gave a lecture on European Strategy and the Ukraine War, a look at how Europe has reacted strategically to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Professor Phillips O’Brien is the Chair of Strategic Studies and Head of the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. He has published widely on issues of conflict, politics, war and strategy in the 20th and 21st centuries. Amongst his books are: How the War was Won: Air-Sea Power and Allied Victory in World War II (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and The Second Most Powerful Man in the World: The Life of Admiral William D. Leahy, FDR’s Chief of Staff, (Penguin/Random House 2015). He has also published multiple articles in major journals including Foreign Affairs, Diplomatic History, the Journal of Strategic Studies, and, Past and Present. In 2024 he published a new multi-archival study of grand-strategy making in World War II with Penguin/Random House, entitled: The Strategists: How Churchill, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Roosevelt were Made by and Made War. In 2025 he published his latest book, War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why.

    Phillips O'Brien | European Strategy and the Ukraine War | REECAS Northwest Keynote

  6. Feb 11

    2026 Symposium | EU Democracy & Security | Europe: Cradle of Democracy

    On February 10th, 2026 the Jean Monnet Center for Excellence at the University of Washington hosted its second symposium on EU Democracy and Security. Speakers Ray Lahiri, Timothy Bourns, and Alexander Hollmann presented on the theme 'Europe: Cradle of Democracy.' Podcast introduction is by Guntis Smidchens, Director of the UW Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the speaker(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    2026 Symposium | EU Democracy & Security | Europe: Cradle of Democracy

  7. 12/10/2025

    2025 Symposium | EU Democracy & Security | Past, Present, Future

    On December 4th, 2025 the Jean Monnet Center for Excellence at the University of Washington hosted a symposium on EU Democracy and Security. Markku Jokisipilä presented on the Past, Present, and Future of European Democracy and Security. Introduction by Guntis Smidchens, the director of the UW Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. Markku Jokisipilä was a UW Visiting Professor for Fall of 2025. Professor of Contemporary History Markku Jokisipilä is Director of the Center for Parliamentary Studies at the University of Turku. He is author or editor of ten books and many articles on Finnish history, including on Finland's relationship to Nazi Germany, diplomatic history, the history of sport, and political use and misuse of history. He has served on a variety of commissions for the Finnish state. He is also columnist and frequent contributor to public debate. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the speaker(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the EU nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    2025 Symposium | EU Democracy & Security | Past, Present, Future

  8. 10/02/2025

    2025 Educator Workshop | John Johnson | US-NATO Relations, Past and Present

    John Johnson is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Prior to this he was the Director of the Brussels International Media Hub, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Afghanistan Affairs Unit which operated out of Doha after the fall of Kabul, and the Counselor for Public Affairs in Afghanistan during the evacuation of the Embassy in 2021. Prior to the establishment of the Doha platform, Mr. Johnson was in Brussels, Belgium where he was the Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Mission to NATO. This session occurred at the 2025 EU Policy Forum Educator Workshop: Europe and the EU: Alone in a Multipolar World? at the UW on August 12, 2025. | Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of NATO, the US Foreign Service, the European Union, or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    2025 Educator Workshop | John Johnson | US-NATO Relations, Past and Present
See All (92)

About

The University of Washington's Center for European Studies is a Jean Monnet EU Center for Excellence. For more than 25 years, the center has developed a well-earned reputation for implementing innovative teaching, outreach, and research programs in the study of Europe, the EU and and transatlantic relations. The center's activities are co-funded by the the European Union.

Information